Planning Memorial weekend, Chicago fishing: Midwest Fishing Report

20 inch,big bass on the fly 5 weight 4lb test leader released

7ft 6inch#5wt Fly rod 4lb test pulled like a cinder block

Lots of information here; feel free to use any of it if it seems useful. My friend fished a DuPage Co. Forest Preserve quarry last Wednesday and absolutely tore it up: a mixed bag of bluegills, redears and bass. I went there the following day and didn’t get the same numbers, but the variety was there: bass bluegills and a very small green sunfish. Friday afternoon in the rain, wind and 44 degree temps, I found some bull bluegills in a Kane Co. F.P. lake. The fish were within a foot or two of the shore. No redds were obvious, but the males were getting very territorial. Same place on Saturday afternoon, but using streamers and looking for bass. They were cooperative once the sun dropped. Didn’t fish on Sunday because the weather got even worse. . . . I did notice a lot of algae for this time of year everywhere I’ve fished. But the good news is that the fish seem to be turning on; warmer water has them feeding more aggressively. It’s a great time to be out. I think the bad weather bothers us more than the fish. Pete

I found a bunch of ponds on Google Earth and yes , I know the end times draw nigh , I actually used modern technology to find fishing spots . I took a tour of 7 of the 30 odd spots today . The best one was the least developed as I thought it might be. I caught nothing but largemouth bass , I couldn’t scratch up a sunfish no matter what I tried . The largemouth on the other hand hit everthing I tried , from buzzbaits to wtd on top, crankbaits and rattlebaits, jig/plastics , wacky rigged cigar type worms to unweighted multiple hooked pre rigged worms . The other ponds were around developed areas, all suburban retention ponds . All had moderate to severe algae problems thanks to the brainwashed that crave the perfect lawn. thanks corporate chemicals . I managed to catch something from all of them but four of the remaing six have been written off as not worth the effort . I went as simple and weedless as possible , 1/6 oz jig and weightless t-rigged cigar type worm . Most bluegills, some pumpkinseeds and crappies mixed in with a handful of largemouth . PeaceNorm

Hey Dale, Bass have been very good on area lakes. Evening hours have been producing good numbers. A few bass are still on the beds, but most are post spawn. Pitching a 4 1/4 inch senko along the outside edges of weed clumps has been the best producing presentation. A few bass have also been caught on spinnerbaits burned on the weed tops. If you see a front moving in, get out and fish!TTYL—Ken Husker O’Malley Huskeroutdoors Waterworks fishing team

Hi Dale The good bite continues on Braidwood for largemouth. A very good early morning bite is happening with shad possibly spawning. Crankbaits being the best bet with some topwater action as well.The Anglers Choice tourney on Sunday was won by Matt Leimbach and Nick Studeman with 3 bass weighing 11.05lbs. Second went to The team of Dave And Alec Berens. Third was taken by Dave Sanders and Pete Banach with 3 bass for 9.63lbs. Anglers Choice Braidwood division tournaments will be on a break untill September.Heading to fish Wisconsin to fish The river and Alexander Flowage. Happy Memorial Day.Rob

15 inch crappie from chain of lakes. Caught many more in the 12-13 inch range. Fishing the channels .. fishing 2 feet down with a minnow. Water 60 degrees. Great fish great fight. Biggest crappie I ever caught

The Stratton Lock will open for the 2017 season on Wednesday, May 3. IDNR lock tenders will operate the Stratton Lock on Wednesdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m., and on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. until midnight through October 29. The lock will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays (with the exception of holidays) for the 2017 season. The Stratton Lock is also closed for the winter season each year from Nov. 1 through April 30. https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/WaterResources/Pages/StrattonLockandDam.aspx

Lake Geneva Fishing Report 5.22.17 through 5.28.17 With the up and down weather patterns of last week, fishing has been rather inconsistent. Some days the fish are biting in 4-5 ft of water and other days they can be up to 20 ft deep. If we get some consistent weather, we’ll start to see the fish in their normal spring patterns. Largemouth bass fishing has been average overall. The best action has come in the Abbey Harbor or in Geneva Bay by the Riviera pier. The best success has come off of split shot rigged nightcrawlers or 4 inch green pumpkin Senkos fished Wacky rig style. Smallmouth bass have not started to spawn due to the cold water. The fish can be caught suspended throughout the water column on white hair jigs with a pink head. The best location has been by Elgin club or Maytag point. Another option is to fish Chompers fished on a football head jig and dragging them along bottom to imitate a crayfish. For this approach, main lake points have been yielding the majority of the fish. The best depth is 8-12 ft of water. Rock bass fishing has been a little slow due to the water temperature. Fish can be caught, however the big numbers are still a couple of weeks away. Once the lake warms up, fishing for rock bass with improve dramatically. The best location has been by South Shore Club or by Elgin Club. There are still some crappies being caught on the east shore of Williams Bay. They’ve become a bit more sporadic, but some are still available. They can be caught on Thill slip bobbers in 12 ft of water fished about 1 foot above the weeds using a fat head minnow. You can also try tube jigs or twister tails in smoke color suspended in the water column about 2 foot above the weeds. Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call or text Dave Duwe at 262-728-8063

Delavan Lake Fishing Report 5.22.17 through 5.28.17 This spring has been crazy with up and down temps, a lot of rain and excessive wind. The fish has been tough to pattern and the bite is inconsistent. If the weather stabilizes, we should start to see some improvement as they move into their normal spring patterns. Early in the week, the water temperature was 10 degrees warmer than it is at the time of this writing. The largemouth had been very active early in the week but now they are slow to bite. As the lake heats back up, they should get hungry again. The best baits have been split shot rigged nightcrawlers or Wacky rigged root beer red flake Senkos. The best depth has been 3-5 ft of water. Smallmouth bass fishing has been spotty. A lot of the fish have been in the shallows in 4-6 ft of water. Most of the fish I’ve been catching have been by the marina at Lake Lawn. The best bait has been split shot rigged nightcrawlers. When I’ve been finding them on the main lake points, they’ve preferred split shot rigged fat head minnows. My biggest smallmouth last week was 19 inches. Bluegills have been in the 2-3 ft depth range. Most of my success is coming on the West end in Viewcrest Bay tight to shore. The best approach is small leaf worms fished about 1 foot beneath the surface. The blugills have been averaging about 7 inches with some large ones mixed in. You need to move around to find the bigger fish. The spawn is still a few weeks away. Walleyes are being caught in the mid depth weeds in 12-14 ft of water. The best location has been by Willow Point or by the Oriental boat house. The best approach is either a split shot rigged fat head minnow or an 1/8 oz jig tipped with a fat head minnow. Northern pike action has been all right in the weedy bays of Viewcrest or the Highlands. The best depth has been 10-12 ft of water. Fished a sucker minnow about 4 ft beneath the surface is the best approach. Use a Thill slip bobber and keep the bait about 1 foot above the weeds. Crappie fishing has been hit or miss. The crappies I’ve been catching have been in 10-12 ft of water. Small fat head minnows have been producing most of the action. I’ve done the best by Browns Channel or by Belvidere condos. Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call or text Dave Duwe at 262-728-8063

Dale,Water levels have settled down finally. We have water temps from the mid to low 60s. Bass seem to be more active than pike. Weeds are still low enough to get to all good spots. Probably need an airboat by June though.Marcus BeneschRiver Grove

I haven’t fished the Fox or its tribs in some time, but I was on the river for a little while Saturday morning and early afternoon (more about that in another email later tonight or tomorrow). It rained most of the morning, but the water was still clear when I left. The water never really came up either; wading and fishing would’ve been no problem.

Good morning fellas. Here is a quick update. I am out of the office so I have to do it from my phone. Do my best.Bass fishing has been fantastic up and down the Door County peninsula. In the spring, look for warm water pockets in whichever Bay you may be fishing and fish transition areas like rock to sand or channel cuts. Another key ingredient for fishing and Catching big smallmouth bass, especially this time of year is to fish slow. No matter what bait your fishing with, fish it slow. The best baits have been shorty tubes, paddle tails, grubs, spinner baits when you can find 60 degree temps and jerk baits like Lucky Crafts and Shadow Raps.Walleye fishing during the day has been going pretty good from the Chaudoir’s Dock area and south to the lower bay. Flicker shads and minnows, Smash shads, deep Husky jerks and some crawler harness action is now starting. To the north, from Chaudoir’s Dock north up the peninsula past Sturgeon Bay, the night bite has been better for the trollers and the shore fishermen. Casting and trolling with large suspending crank baits like Smithwick rogues and Husky jerks. And they are still catching some Walleyes rip-jigging during the day around some of the steep shoreline drops and some near shore, deep structure. The best baits have been Rippin raps, blade baits, hair jigs and paddle tails.Pike action continues to stay fairly consistent throughout the Sturgeon Bay Area and south to Little Sturgeon. Sucker minnows, large crank baits, large spoons and soft plastics all working very well.Perch season is now open, but currently have no reports due to the strong wins over the weekend. We anticipate a very good Perch season as we had a denominator fall and ice season last year. Look for new growth weed beds as the water warms and search for school in deep water mud like around the Chaudoir’s dock area. Minnows, crawlers and leaf worms generally the best baits for the Perch

Took a break from the main river for the most part each trip although i always ended up fishing the river . The river had been dropping but it was still above my personal threshhold for safe wading . especially due to my current health issues . However the creeks were in good enough shape to scratch the wading itch . Main river reports first, last trip buzzbaits on the upstream side riffle areas was the killer . Drifting a fluke from the top of the riffle into the downstream side added a couple more bass. A jig/pig dropped into a slack spot by a boulder got a decent channel cat . On the other trips it was mostly jig/pigs quartercast upstream taking bass and some channel cats. A few bass on rattlebaits on seams but that was it as far as catching was concerned . For the creeks , the last trip was buzzbaits all the way . I started with it and had so much fun with it , I never took it off . Don’t know if I could have caught more fish with something else, don’t care, I was having a blast . Did I miss some , yeah but then I always do so nothing new there. The rest of the creek trips it was a 1/6 oz jig with a soft plastic minnow with a curly tail . One trip , I hit three different creeks, it worked on everyone of them . One creek I found a large concentration of smallmouth staged at the first riffle up from the mouth . I barely has to move at all, I just made longer casts . I went by that same spot today, suckers staging . I foresee crawlers , hooks and split shot on my light action set up . peacenorm

Mazonia yesterday. Certainly wouldn’t want to be in the float tube today.

Fishing Report Reminder: Catch and release for Smallmouth Bass is until June 17, and Muskie opens in the north zone May 27. Panfish: Perch will be in the new weed growth. Using a slip bobber tipped with minnows is the best bite right now. Crappies are starting to spawn on smaller, darker lakes and will continue as the water warms in the larger lakes. Slip bobber rigs with hook and minnow or a jig and plastic should do the trick. If you find some warmer water in the bays or shallow flats you might get into some bluegills too. Northern: These fish will still be found around new weeds. Pitching jig and minnows or anything that moves should be a good bet. Walleye: These are going to be moving from post spawn areas and you will have to do a little searching. They will start going to the new weed growth, and even the sand flats off the spawning areas. Pitching 1/8th oz. jigs tipped with fathead minnows or slip bobbers will catch you a nice fish fry also. Muskies: They will be starting, in progress or finishing spawning depending on the lake water temperatures. Smaller baits this time of the year are your best baits to go to right now.

When the wind lets u get out on Lake Michigan fishing in 90 to 110 ft of water is good for lake trout and coho fishing surface to the bottom fish ed thru water coloum Most places gills are on the beds and good catches coming from pine lake in Laporte and the valpo chain of lakes long and loomis giving them upOver all even with this up and down weather a lot of people are out fishing

Shabbona Lakeside is now OPEN for the SEASON Lakeside will be open everyday, 7 days a week, April 11th to September 5th 6 AM to 7 PM September 6th to September 30th 6 AM to 6:30 PM October 1st to October 10th 6:30 AM to 6 PM October 11th to October 31st 7 AM to 5PM

Pokanoka’s Cafe will be opening for the season on April 8th and will be open Saturdays and Sundays 11 AM to 4 PM! The Camp Store will be opening for the season on April 7th. If you need firewood before the camp store opens for the season, see the friendly campground hosts at site 132. They have large bundles of wood available for sale. If you need anything from the camp store when it is closed. Call the bait shop and we can meet you over at the camp store so you can get anything you need. Spring hours are Fridays 5 PM to 8 PM, Saturdays 8 AM to 8 PM and Sundays are 8 AM to 12 PM.